Ants & earthworms more healthy than burgers & fries?

Take for instance Xiao Qiang, an elementary student from Tianjin, China who enjoys dining on ants and earthworms during recess. As soon as the bell rings, Xiao can be found plopped on all fours, gorging himself with a mouthful of scrumptious critters.

Xiao’s mother believes that the boy has gone mad and may perhaps be right, although he is certainly not the first.

The truth is that the residents of China have been feasting on ants and earthworms for countless centuries. It is not that they necessarily enjoy the taste like young Mr. Xiao, but rather that these creepy crawlers are known throughout greater Asia for their purported medicinal properties.

For instance, earthworms are typically associated with the “Bladder, Liver, Lung, and Spleen Meridians.” They not only drain liver and lung heat, but they also promote movement in swollen joints, reduce the pain from urinary dysfunction, and even thwart the onset of edema. This is obviously not scientific, but nonetheless believed to be true by many acupuncturists, martial artists, and regular citizens alike.

They are first caught and killed, after which they are eviscerated — wherein the internal organs are removed — and then dried into an edible powder that can be mixed with fruits and/or herbs.

Ants, on the other hand, are attributed to a long and healthy life. Unlike earthworms, ants need only be fried and then eaten either by themselves or perhaps with some beans and nuts.

Better yet, try dipping them in chocolate. Just remember that although eating ants and earthworms obviously takes time to get used too, at least they do a body good!


/Weird Asia News/